Selected Biographies

Boreham, Albert George – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 7.9.1892.[1]  Parents: George Boreham (Maltster’s Labourer) [see below for military details] and Alice Emily [née East] (Horsehair Weaver).  Family Connections: Brother to Harry Dennis Boreham [b1896]; also, nephew of Dennis William Boreham [b1865], cousin of William Charles Boreham [b1888], Frederick Boreham [b1901], Victor Dennis Boreham [b1894] and Frederick John East [b1896], and brother-in-law of Charles Ebenezer Cadge [b1880], George Webb [b1886], Albert Leeks [b1890] and Nellie Potter [b1901].  Home: Melford Road, Sudbury, Suffolk [1893], Chapel Green, Long Melford (1901), 3 Rotten Row, Long Melford (1911), Colchester Road, Bures Hamlet, Essex (1921), 2 Speedwell Terrace, High Street, Bures Hamlet (1939).  Occupation: Employee of the Great Eastern Railway (1911), Railway Signalman (1921 to 1939).  Married: Elsie Annie Sycamore in 1917.  Service Record: Although no definitive military record has been found, Albert may have attested as Pnr.94288 with the Royal Engineers, if this assumption is correct then he would have been transferred as Spr.WR/285383 to the Railway Section, RE and posted to France from 3.10.1915.[2]  During the Second World War Albert was an Air Raid Precaution Warden for his employer the London Northeastern Railway.  Died: Sudbury, Suffolk in 1967.

Boreham, Alfred Eric – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 26.6.1915.[3]  Parents: Alfred Boreham (Horseman on Farm) and Sarah Ann [née Wilding] (Horsehair Weaver).  Family Connections: Brother to Harry Boreham [b1905].  Home: 18 Martins Rise, Long Melford (1939).  Occupation: Silk Finisher (1939).  Service Record: Alfred enlisted as Pte.5116823 with 1^st Battalion, Royal Hampshire Regiment, being posted to Egypt in December 1939.  With the fall of Sidi Barrani in June 1940 his unit was tasked with guarding the thousands captured Italians soldiers.  The following year the Hampshires were transferred to Malta as part of the garrison, withstanding two years of bombardment from enemy aircraft.  On 3.4.1943 his unit landed in Alexandria in Egypt preparatory to the invasion of Sicily on 9 July as part of 231^st Infantry Brigade, 46^th Division.  Many Italian prisoners were taken during the initial stages of the campaign, by 13 July however the Brigade was confronted by elements of the Hermann Goering Armoured Division and the 29^th Panzer Grenadier Regiment, who offered a far more robust defence.  Died: Alfred was killed in action on 29.7.1943, during the bloody assault on Regalbuto Ridge and is buried in Catania War Cemetery, Sicily [grave ref: I.J.10].[4]

Boreham, Charles – Born: Brockley, Suffolk on 4.3.1880.[5]  Parents: David Boreham (Agricultural Labourer) and Jane [née Pettit].  Family Connections: Uncle of George Edward Bertie Boreham [b1912].  Home: Hawk Leys Cottage, Brockley, Suffolk (1881 to 1891), Great Green, Brockley (1901), Three Ashes, Rede, Suffolk (1911), 1 Council House, Rede (1939).  Occupation: Miller’s Carter (1901), Horseman on Farm (1911).  Married: Margaretta Louise Boreham in 1904.  Service Record: Charles served as Pte.3160 with the Middlesex Regiment during the First World War, having previously been a member of 3rd [Militia] Battalion, Suffolk Regiment.[6]  From 1939 he was a member of the Air Raid Precaution Utility Squad.

Boreham, Dennis William – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk in 1865.  Parents: George Boreham (Labourer) and Mary Ann [née Hardy] (Needlewoman).  Family Connections: Father of Victor Dennis Boreham [b1894]; also, brother to George Samuel Boreham [b1859] and uncle of William Boreham [b1888], Frederick Boreham [b1901], Albert George Boreham [b1892], and Harry Dennis Boreham [b1896].  Home: Borley Green, Borley, Essex (1871), Hall Street, Long Melford (1881), Holme, Huntingdonshire (1891 and 1901), Alma Road, Millfield, Peterborough, Northamptonshire (1911).[7]  Occupation: Railway Porter (1881), Railway Signalman (1891 and 1901), Great Northern Railway Timekeeper (1911).  Married: Emily Gilson in 1891.  Service Record: Dennis attested in 1892 as Pte.374 with ‘J’ Company, 1^st Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, posted to the East Indies, before his discharge in 1894 as medically unfit.  It is not known if he saw service during the First World War as no extant record has been found.[8]  Died: Peterborough, Northamptonshire in 1917.

Boreham, Frederick – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 17.11.1901.[9]  Parents: Charles Boreham (Foundry Labourer) and Elizabeth [née Ford].  Family Connections: Brother to William Charles Boreham [b1888]; also, nephew of George Boreham [b1858] and Dennis William Boreham [b1865], cousin of Albert George Boreham [b1892], Harry Dennis Boreham [b1896] and Victor Dennis Boreham [b1894], and brother-in-law of Cecil Bernard Richmond [b1886].  Home: The Green, Long Melford (1911), HMS Valiant, Devonport, Devon (1921), 34 Wheatstone Road, Notting Hill, London [1929], 83 Dane Road, Southall, Middlesex (1939) to [1964].  Occupation: Motor Driver [1919], Stoker (1921), Motor Mechanic [1929], Heavy Lorry Driver (1939).  Married: Mildred Beatrice Jakeman in 1929.[10]  Service Record: Frederick attested on 1.4.1919 as Stoker N^o. K55650 in the Royal Navy, serving until August 1921.  Died: Southall, Middlesex on 22.1.1964.[11]

Boreham, George Edward Bernard – Born: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk on 21.5.1912.[12]  Parents: George Boreham (Horseman on Farm) and Esther [née Mason].  Family Connections: Nephew of Charles Boreham [b1880].  Home: Balsdon Hall, Acton, Suffolk (1921), 9 Westgate Lane/Street, Long Melford (1939).  Occupation: Tractor Driver (1939).  Married: Violet Mary Roper of Long Melford in 1936.  Service Record: Due to his being employed in a reserved occupation, an agricultural worker, George joined the Local Defence Volunteers in Long Melford when it was formed in August 1942 as ‘H’ Company, 10^th Battalion, Suffolk Home Guard.  His name is recorded in the official tribute to the organization entitled The Lion Roared his Defiance, photographed in and around Long Melford in 1944.[13]  Died: Long Melford, Suffolk in 1995.

Boreham, George Samuel – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 23.11.1859.[14]  Parents: George Boreham (Labourer) and Mary Ann [née Hardy] (Needlewoman).  Family Connections: Father of Albert George Boreham [b1892] and Harry Dennis Boreham [b1896]; also, brother to Dennis William Boreham [b1865], uncle of William Charles Boreham [b1888], Frederick Boreham [b1901] and Victor Dennis Boreham [b1894], and father-in-law of Charles Ebenezer Cadge [b1880], George Webb [b1886], Albert Leeks [b1889] and Nellie Potter [b1901], and brother-in-law of Arthur Thomas East [b1885].  Home: Turnpike Road, Long Melford (1861), Borley Green, Borley, Essex (1871), Holgate Lodge, Little St Marys, Long Melford, Suffolk (1891), Chapel Green, Long Melford (1901), 3 Rotten Row, Long Melford (1911), 9 Southgate Street, Long Melford (1939).  Occupation: Agricultural Labourer (1871), Groom (1891), Maltster’s Labourer (1901 and 1911), retired Labourer (1939).  Married: Alice Emily East in 1891.  Service Record: George enlisted in 1878 as Dvr.3625 with the Royal Horse Artillery, posted to Egypt in 1882, Sudan in 1885 and India from 1886 to 1889, being discharged in 1890.[15]  He re-enlisted in 1900 as Dvr.8097 in the RHA, receiving his discharge in 1901.  George was a member of the Long Melford Volunteer Training Corps in 1915.[16]  Died: Sudbury, Suffolk on 29.3.1944.

Boreham, Harry – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 3.12.1905.[17] Parents: Alfred Boreham (Horseman on Farm) and Sarah Ann [née Wilding] (Horsehair Weaver).  Family Connections: Brother to Alfred Eric Boreham [b1915].  Home: 4 Rotten Row, Southgate Street, Long Melford (1911) to [1925], Hall Street, Long Melford (1939), 16 Southgate Street [1969].  Occupation: Timberman [1925], Public Works Labourer (1939), Chemical Works Labourer [1947].  Married: Gladys May Smith in 1938.  Service Record: Harry enlisted with his best friend Cyril Albert Mills in 1925 as Gnr.6137191 with 92^nd [Gordon Highlanders] Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, transferring on 16.10.1939 to 4^th [City of Aberdeen] Battalion, Gordon Highlanders. This unit was part of the British Expeditionary Force that confronted German Army Group B on its advance into Belgium in May 1940 and was later ordered to retreat to Dunkirk for evacuation to England.[18]  Died: Sudbury, Suffolk in 1969.

Boreham, Harry Dennis – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 16.4.1896.[19]  Parents: George Boreham (Maltster’s Labourer) and Alice Emily [née East] (Horsehair Weaver).  Family Connections: Brother to Albert George Boreham [b1892]; also, nephew of Dennis William Boreham [b1865], cousin of William Charles Boreham [b1888], Frederick Boreham [b1901], Victor Dennis Boreham [b1894] and Frederick John East [b1896], and brother-in-law of Charles Ebenezer Cadge [b1880], George Webb [b1886] and Albert Leeks [b1889], and son-in-law of Arthur Robert Potter [b1873].  Home: Melford Road, Sudbury, Suffolk [1896], Chapel Green, Long Melford (1901), 3 Rotten Row, Long Melford (1911), Hall Street, Long Melford (1939), Milestone House, Hall Street, Long Melford [1976].  Occupation: Butcher’s Lad (1911), Butcher [1914] to (1939).  Married: Nellie Potter in 1924 [see below for service details].  Service Record: Harry attested on 3.9.1914 as Pte.2261 with 1/5^th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, posted to Suvla Bay, Gallipoli on 10.8.1915 as part of 163^rd Brigade, 54^th [East Anglian] Division. , being evacuated to Egypt on 6.12.1915.  Within hours of landing his unit was moved forward into frontline trenches on the south face of a steep and rocky hill called Karakol Dagh.  At dawn two days later the Suffolks and the three other untested battalions of 163^rd Brigade were ordered to secure the heights to the east.  Advancing nearly a mile through a hail of Turkish artillery and machine gun fire, by the end of the day the enemy had been held at bay and a secure forward defence line established.  When Bertie and the other Melford men were finally relieved by fresh troops after three gruelling days, they were found in a sorry state, having baked under the searing heat they had run desperately short of drinking water and been plagued by swarms of flies attracted by the dead and dying around them. When the Roll was called it was found the Suffolks alone had lost 186 men either dead or wounded with a further 150 laid low by dysentery.  The Battalion was evacuated in December 1916 to Egypt.  In 1917 he was issued with a new service number, and as Sgt.240491 took part in the invasion of Palestine, his battalion seeing action at the First, Second and Third Battles of Gaza, the Battle of Sharon and the capture of Jerusalem.[20]  During 1917 and 1918 he was employed as Company Cook,[21] and in 1939 is recorded as an Air Raid Warden.  Died: Long Melford, Suffolk on 6.2.1976.[22]

Boreham, Victor Dennis[23] [mm] – Born: Holme, Huntingdonshire in 1894.  Parents: Dennis William Boreham of Long Melford (Railway Signalman) [see above for military record] and Emily [née Gilson].  Family Connections: Nephew of George Boreham [b1858] and cousin of William Charles Boreham [b1888], Frederick Boreham [b1901], Albert George Boreham [b1892] and Henry Dennis Boreham [b1896].  Home: Holme, Huntingdonshire (1901), 87 Alma Road, Millfield, Peterborough, Northamptonshire (1911).  Occupation: Refreshment Rooms Worker (1911).  Service Record: Victor attested as Pte.16046 with 5^th [Service] Battalion [Pioneers], Northamptonshire Regiment and posted to France from 31.5.1915 as part of 12^th [Eastern] Division.  The 5^th Northants saw action at the following battles: Loos 1915, the Somme 1916, Arras Offensive 1917, and the Somme and Hindenburg Line in 1918.[24]  He was awarded the Military Medal in 1918.[25]  Died: Victor was reported missing believed killed in action on 20.9.1918 during the Battle of Épehy and is commemorated in Épehy Wood Farm Cemetery [grave ref: III.A.16], Somme, France, and on the Peterborough War Memorial.[26]

Boreham, William Charles – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 18.11.1888.[27]  Parents: Charles Boreham (Foundry Labourer) and Elizabeth [née Ford].  Family Connections: Brother to Frederick Boreham [b1901]; also, nephew of George Boreham [b1858] and Dennis William Boreham [b1865], cousin of Albert George Boreham [b1892], Harry Dennis Boreham [b1896] and Victor Dennis Boreham [b1894], and brother-in-law of Cecil Bernard Richmond [b1886].  Home: Sargents Yard, Hall Street, Long Melford (1901), Military Barracks in Egypt (1911).  Occupation: Coconut Mat Maker [1905], Soldier [1905 to 1916].  Service Record: William attested in 1905 as Pte.6955 with 3^rd [Militia] Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, recorded on the 1911 Census as Pte.7503 in 1^st Battalion, Suffolks serving in Egypt.  During the First World War he was transferred as L/Cpl.7503 to 7^th [Service] Battalion, Suffolks, being posted to France from 16.1.1915, as part of 35^th Brigade, 12^th [Eastern] Division and seeing action during the Battle of Loos in September 1915.[28]  Died: He was killed in action on 3.7.1916 during a failed assault on German positions near Ovillers, on the third day of the Battle of Albert, the opening phase of the Somme Offensive.  Lance Corporal Boreham is buried in Ovillers Military Cemetery [grave ref: I.E.29], Somme, France and commemorated on the Long Melford War Memorial.[29]

Notes – [1] Date of birth from Baptism Register 11.6.1893, St Gregorys Church, Sudbury.  [2] Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329] and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].  [3] Date of birth taken from the 1939 Register for Long Melford.  [4] Commonwealth War Graves Commission.  [5] 1939 Register.  [6] First World War Pension Claims [WO 364].  [7] Both Holme and Peterborough are now incorporated into Cambridgeshire.  [8] Soldiers’ Documents, First World War ‘Burnt Documents’ [WO 363].  [9] Date of birth from Royal Navy Registers of Seaman’s Services [ADM 188/972/55650], the date recorded on the 1939 Register for Southall is 17.3.1901.  [10] Address and occupation taken from Marriage Register 1.4.1929, Christchurch, Notting Hill, London.  [11] Date of death from the National Probate Calendar.  [12] 1939 Register.  [13] The Lion Roared his Defiance [Sudbury, Suffolk: Marten & Son, Ltd., Market Hill, 1946].  [14] Date of birth from the 1939 Register for Long Melford.  [15] Chelsea Hospital British Army Service Record [WO 97] up to 1901.  [16] For Training Corps article see Suffolk and Essex Free Press 10.3.1915.  My thanks to Sheila Cadge for supplying additional information.  [17] 1939 Register and RA Record.  [18] Surrey, England, Regimental Rolls and Recruitment Registers, 1908-1947.  [19] Date of birth from Baptism Register 25.6.1896, St Catherines Mission Church, Long Melford.  [20] For details of 1/5^th Suffolk’s movements in Gallipoli and Palestine see War Diaries [WO 95/4325 and WO 95/4658] and Capt. A. Fair [mc] and Capt. E. D. Wolton [compiled by] “The Suffolk Regiment”: the history of the 1/5^th Battalion [London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1923], pp.13-107.  [21] Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329] and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].  [22] Date of death from the National Probate Calendar.  [23] Recorded as Dennis Boreham on all UK Census Returns.  [24] For details of 5^th Northamptonshire’s movements see War Diary [WO 95/1842/1].  [25] For notification of his Military Medal see the Supplement to the London Gazette 2.4.1918, p.4016.  See also his Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329] and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].  [26] Commonwealth War Graves Commission record and British Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, 1901-1929 file [ref: 774993],  [27] Date of birth from the Baptism Register 6.10.1889, Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford.  [28] For details of 7^th Suffolk’s movements see War Diary [WO 95/1852/1] and for the unit’s involvement at the Battle of Albert see Murphy, Lieutenant-Colonel C. C. R. The History of the Suffolk Regiment 1914-1927 [London: Hutchinson and Co, 1928], pp.232-38 and Chris M^cCarthy, The Somme: The Day-by-Day Account [London: Brockhampton Press, 1998], pp.35-6.  Also see his Soldiers’ Documents, First World War ‘Burnt Documents’ [WO 363], Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329], and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].  [29] Commonwealth War Graves Commission record and British Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, 1901-1929 file [ref: 516545].